13 



ing our management, consistent with new information, to sustain 

 long-term sustainability of the resources under our care. 



The watersheds of the National Forests encompass approxi- 

 mately one-half of the remaining freshwater anadromous fish 

 spawning and rearing habitat in the lower 48 States and about 

 one-quarter of such habitat in Alaska. Habitat conditions on Na- 

 tional Forest System lands are important elements in conserving 

 many of the Pacific anadromous fish stocks, and the penalties of 

 degraded watersheds extend far beyond just the loss of fish stocks. 



Watershed management and watershed health are related to 

 nearly all of our resource programs in National Forests, such as 

 fish habitat, timber, range, minerals and recreation. 



Recent assessments made by Forest Service researchers and oth- 

 ers have shown the stream systems in many watersheds in the Pa- 

 cific Northwest have been degraded as a result of human activities. 

 The reasons for the decline of the Pacific anadromous fish stocks 

 vary by species and geographic area. Stock survival is threatened 

 by hydroelectric development and operation, fish harvest, fish 

 hatchery influences on disease and genetic fitness, and fish habitat 

 conditions. For those stocks primarily affected by habitat factors, 

 the management of watersheds to insure good fish habitat is im- 

 portant. 



Management of these lands also can play an important role in 

 moderating the decline for stocks affected by hydroelectric develop- 

 ment and operations, hatcheries, and fish harvest, and providing a 

 buffer against environmental extremes. 



In November 1991, the National Marine Fisheries Service deter- 

 mined that the Snake River sockeye salmon was endangered. In 

 April 1992, the Snake River spring/summer and fall Chinook salm- 

 on were listed as threatened. The protection the Forest Service has 

 further afforded the stocks, because of their inclusion on the En- 

 dangered Species Act list, have complemented and built upon 

 interregional agency efforts initiated earlier. These efforts were a 

 result of the January 1991 Columbia River Basin Anadromous Fish 

 Habitat Management Policy and Implementation Guide. This guide 

 clearly shows the Forest Service's intent to proactively manage wa- 

 tersheds for the benefit of anadromous fish in the Columbia River 

 Basin and to coordinate with other Federal, State, and tribal enti- 

 ties, and the public in these management efforts. 



We have made progress in implementing many of the actions 

 provided under the policy and implementation guide, but we recog- 

 nize that only nine stocks identified by the American fisheries re- 

 ported as being at risk have received formal protection under the 

 Endangered Species Act. We recognize that aggressive preventive 

 actions need to be taken to preclude the need for future listing of 

 some of these "at risk" stocks. In an effort to address the issue of 

 declining fish stocks in the Northwest, we initiated a team effort 

 early last spring to undertake an assessment and develop a man- 

 agement strategy that extends beyond the Columbia River Basin 

 and addresses the "at risk" stocks in the National Forests. This ef- 

 fort is staffed by technical specialists and managers from the Na- 

 tional Forest System and research scientists from our research or- 

 ganization. The Forest Service is focusing on management of entire 

 watersheds and will use an ecosystem management approach that 



